Double acting pushbutton assembly



Sept. 15, 1970 E. o. ROTHACKER 3,529,110

DOUBLE ACTING PUSHBUTTON ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 14, 1968 mm mm 1 imz/r y IN VE N TOR a fez/large United States Patent 3,529,110 DOUBLE ACTING PUSHBUTTON ASSEMBLY Eugen 0. Rothacker, Corinth, Miss., assignor to International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 14, 1968, Ser. No. 705,504 Int. Cl. H01h 3/12 US. Cl. 200-159 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A double action pushbutton assembly includes an element which floats on relatively long coil springs. Guideways in molded piece parts guide the pushbutton to either of two laterally displaced locking positions and to either of two vertically displaced non-locking positions.

This invention relates to pushbuttons and more particularly to double acting pushbuttons having a capability of providing a substantially large amount of mechanical logic.

Pushbuttons are, of course, such old and well known devices that it would appear that there is little room for further improvement of them. However, the environmental needs for pushbutton logic are changing, and currently available pushbuttons do not serve all of the functions. For example, styling is an important sales factor. It is no longer enough to provide a control panel filled with a myriad of buttons and lights. Todays designers like to provide clean and uncluttered panels with only a few highly styled pushbutton, which may be back or edge lit. Moreover, the pushbuttons should be attractive (either operated or unoperated)free of unsightly gaps or dust catching cracks. Another consideration is tooling. It is important to make full use of existing piece parts because it saves cost and existing parts have already been de-bugged. Also, it reduces the parts inventory and makes servicing easier to perform. Yet another consideration is the logic to be per-formed by the pushbuttons. Some buttons should be looking, and others should be non-locking.

As used herein, the term double acting pushbutton means one which may be operated to either of two locked positions. In each locked position, the pushbutton may be operated to either of two non-locked positions. Here, it is necessary for the pushbutton to be designed in a manner such that each of the four possible combinations of pushbutton operations is completely independent of each of the other four possible combinations. There cannot be a complex mechanical rocking movement giving an unwanted component motion. For example, if the pushbutton is slid to a locked position, it should not simultaneously close the non-locking contacts.

To provide a concrete example, it may be well to review one exemplary use of a double acting pushbutton on a loudspeaking telephone. Here, the pushbutton may be put into either of two locking positions to enable the telephone to be used as either a loudspeaking, intercom type of device or a more conventional private telephone. In either position, the pushbutton may be non-lockingly operated to trip ringing on answer or hangup on disconnect.

Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide new and improved double action pushbuttons. More particularly, an object is to provide pushbuttons which are capable of performing many dilferent logical functions. Here an object is to provide many optional combinatlions of locking and non-locking key positions.

Yet another object is to accomplish the above objects at very low cost. In this connection, an object is to pro- "ice vide these and other double action functions with a minimum number of piece parts which are easily made on general purpose machines. Another object is to provide these functions by means of pushbuttons which are made on machines and with piece parts normally used to manufacture multifrequency, pushbutton telephone dials.

In keeping with an aspect of the invention, a double action pushbutton is made from molded piece parts which snap together in an assembly which cannot be taken apart. The shapes of these piece parts are such that at least one pushbutton may be either lockin gly slid left or right and non-lockingly pushed down without any rocking motion which would tend to provide an unwanted response. This pushbutton is urged upwardly to a normal position by relatively long coil springs which may lean slightly as the button slides without changing in a significant manner the non-locking bias exerted upwardly upon the pushbutton in its non-locking mode. One set of contact springs is mounted on the side of the switch to open or close when the pushbutton is pushed after it has been slid to either position.

The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention and the manner of obtaining them will become more apparent, and the invention itself will be best understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. .1 is a partly exploded perspective view of one side of the invention pushbutton assembly;

FIG. 1A shows a plan view of an end of a pushbutton looking in. the direction of the arrows 1A1A in FIG. 1;

\FIG. 1B is a plan view of the reverse side of the push button looking in the direction of arrows lB-IB in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C is a fragmentary view of a guide window which is also seen in FIG. 1;

FIG. 11) is a bottom plan view of the spring actuator on a double acting pushbutton taken along line CID-1D of FIG. 1B;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the side of the pushbutton assembly which is opposite to that shown in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are plan views of the double acting pushbutton showing how the coil bias spring may lean, as the pushbutton slides, without any significant effect upon the vertical spring bias; and

[FIG 5 is a bottom plan view showing guide ways which preclude a rocking of the pushbutton as it moves in its double action.

The invention is here shown as having three molded plastic piece parts 120, 21', 22, four coil springs 23-26, and three sets of electrical contact springs 27-29. All of these and other electrical parts are standard piece parts normally used on conventional pushbutton telephone dials. To provide a high styling, the double acting pushbutton 20 is shaped to expose to the users view a relatively long and narrow bar above the line VV in FIG. 1. All of the parts below the view line VV are concealed from the users view by a suitable housing or escutcheon plate. Each pushbutton has a laterally extending platform, as at 31, 32, to fill the spaces between adjacent pushbutton regardless of whether they are slid left or right, pushed or elevated. A cut-out position 34 allows a pushbutton to fit over the platform of an adjacent pushbutton.

Each side of the pushbutton has one or more studs molded to project therefrom. In FIG. 1, these studs are numbered 36-38. The studs on the opposite sides of the pushbuttons are seen in FIG. 2 where they have similar numbers, but with the letter a as a sufiix (e.g. stud 38 is on the side of pushbutton 21, as seen in FIG. 1, and stud 38a is on the opposite side of pushbutton 21, as

seen in FIG. 2). At least the upper side of each stud has 3 a rounded contour, shaped to form a cam surface-as shown by the heavily inked line at 39 in FIG. 1C.

Depending from each of the pushbuttons 20, 21 is a contact spring actuator 40, 4 1. In the case of the simple pushbutton 21, the actuator 41 may be a fairly simple beam having a somewhat rectangular (or other suitable), cross-section adapted to slide up and down in a guide way 58, (FIG, 5). However, the actuator 40 on the double acting pushbutton has a more complicated shape to operate either of two sets of springs and to prevent a rocking action, as will become more apparent. In greater detail, one side edge of the actuator has two cam. surfaces 42, 43 (FIG. 1D) which Work the side mounted electrical springs responsive to either of two sliding motions (herein called left and righ for convenience of expression). The other side edge of the actuator 40 has a detent 45 for guiding the actuator 40 as it slides against a key 46 in a guide way. This key-detent combination is for guarding against a rocking action. A cutout portion 4-7 in the actuator 40 allows the detent 4 5 to pass under and by the key 46.

The double-acting pushbutton is floating on the coiled springs so that it may move laterally to either of two positions. It may be displaced vertically in each of the two lateral positions. In greater detail, as indicated in FIGS. 3, 4, the inside of the pushbutton is hollow with depending studs 50, 51 for nestingly supporting and positioning the upper ends of the coiled springs 23, 24. In a similar manner, the inside of the housing 22 is schematically shown as including posts 52, 53 for supporting and positioning the lower ends of the springs 23, 24-. As should be apparent from an inspection of FIGS. 3, 4, the upper and lower ends of coil springs 23, 24 simply slip on over the posts 50, 52 and 51, 53, respectively. Thus, the springs are stabilized at their ends and unrestricted at their center. The springs are relatively long so that the pushbutton may slide right (FIG. 3) or left (FIG. 4) without substantially changing the vertical spring bias used to return the pushbutton in its non-lockin g mode.

The housing 22 is a generally box shaped piece part which is open at the top and botom. The bottom (FIG. 5) includes a support 55 having two sets of electrical contact springs 28, 29 attached thereto in a cantilever manner. Bridge members 56, 57 in the bottom of the housing 22 support the free end of the springs 28, 29 when they are in a normal or unoperated position. Finally, the bottom of the housing also includes guide ways 58, 59 for receiving the actuators 41, 40, respectively, and directing the path of the pushbutton. The key 46 is in the one of the guideways which receives the actuator 40.

The upper edges of the housing 21 include a number of notches 60-65 which have a slanted bottom adapted to act as a cam surface. The bottom of each of the studs 36 38 has a similar slant surface, which also acts as a cam. This way, the studs 36, 38 and 36a-38a may be put in the notches 60-65, and if the pushbuttons 20, 21 are then pushed down, the slant surfaces will slide against each other. The sides of the housing 22 will be sprung apart, and the pushbutton will snap into the housing.

The sides of the housing 22 includes cutout guide windows 70, 71, 72 for receiving the studs 36-38. Again the suffix a identifies identical guide windows on the other side of the housing. Thus, if the pushbuttons are pushed down, the studs 36-38 and 36a-38a run in the cutout guide windows 7072 and 70a-72a to guide the excursions of the pushbutton.

Each of the cutout guide windows 70, 71 and 70a, 71a for the double acting pushbutton, has a tongue 73, 74 which divides the window into two vertical tracks, thereby allowing the pushbutton to move up or down in either of two laterally displaced positions. The lower part 75 (FIG. 1C) of the tongue 73, 74 is rounded and the upper sides of the studs 36, 37 are also rounded. Thus, if the center of studs 36, 37 directly engage the center of tongues 73, 74, there is no fiat spot to hold the pushbutotns in an off normal position. Instead, two rounded surfaces engage each other and the stud will slide under the urging of the bias springs 23, 24, to one side or the other of the tongues 73, 74. This way, the pushbutton 20 can slide left or right to either of two locking positions. As it does so slide, the spring actuating surfaces 42, 43 act to open or close the side mounted spring set of contacts 27.

To preclude locking of the double action pushbutton 20, the detent 45 slides against, and under the key 46 in the guideway in which actuator 40 slides. Again, the surfaces of detent 45 and key 46 are slanted or rounded to guide the detent 45 to one side or the other of the key 46. Thus, the pushbutton 20 floats under the urging of the springs 23, 24- and against thre principal points of support 36, 37, 45. This prevents the pushbutton from rocking as it glides smoothly from one lateral position to the other, thus preventing the non-locking pushbutton action.

The slide controlled-springs 27 are described herein as locking or side mounted and they are controlled by the locking horizontal (as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2) motion of the pushbutton 20. The springs 28, 29 are described as non-locking or vertical since they are controlled by the vertical motion of the pushbuttons 20, 21. Actually, these terms are used for convenience of expression only. Any other two appropriate terms could be used.

FIG. 2 shows that the contacts 28 are normally closed, and that the bottom contact moves to open the circuit when the actuator 41 moves downwardly. Likewise contacts 29 are shown as normally open, and they move to a closed position when actuator 40 is moved sidewise so thta detent 45 is on the opposite side of the key 46. With these two examples in mind, it is obvious that any suitable spring pile-up may be added to make any spring logic in any of the contact positionsin a well known manner.

While the principles of the invention have been described above in connection with specific apparatus and applications, it is to be understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation on the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A double acting pushbutton having at least one part which is floating inside another part on elongated coil springs, guideways in said parts for guiding said pushbutton to either of two laterally displaced positions and to each of two vertically displaced positions in both of said laterally displaced positions, at least a first set of contact springs positioned to be operated to either of two conditions responsive to a movement of said pushbutton to said two lateral positions, at least a second set of contacts operated to either of two conditions responsive to a movement of said pushbutton to said two vertically displaced positions, and means for supporting said pushbutton at a plurality of points for guiding and stabilizing the movement of said pushbutton as it moves through said guideways in any of said motions while precluding a rocking motion of said pushbutton.

2. The pushbutton of claim 1 wherein said other part comprises a rectangular enclosure having guide windows therein, and a plurality of motion guiding studs on said pushbutton riding in said guide windows for directing the movement of said pushbutton.

3. The pushbutton of claim 2 and a keyway and detent combination for stabilizing the movement of said pushbutton.

4. The pushbutton of claim 3 and cam surface on said studs, keyway and detents for guiding the movement of said pushbutton.

References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 649,986 12/1962 Italy.

ROBERT K. SCHAEFER, Primary Examiner R. A. VANDERHYE, Assistant Examiner U.S. C1.X.R. 200-153, 169 

